Little Secrets

chapter 17

His hand held a firm grip around the glass of scotch. It was like the glass was a part of him and if he let it go he'd lose a piece of himself. He took one long gulp and finished off the glass.

"Keep them coming." He spoke across the bar. The bartender pured some more of the brown liquid into his glass. He tilted it towards the bartender and took a sip. As it hit his mouth, his lips curled and he swallowed. The glass still clutched in his hand.

I looked over at Zayn sitting on a stool at the empty bar from the other end of the bar. My hands firmly interwined together. He hasn't even bothered explaining what happned. Ella's here, still. There's only two days left. 

As much as I'll be happy to get home and block myself out from some people, I'll miss the feeling of waking up each morning to a snoring Harry or eating breakfast with the boys. I've barely known one direction over a few months but I already feel like they are my family. 

 It's pitchblack outside and only occasionaly I get the glimpse flicker of an street-light through the small circular window on the door. Behind me are Harry, Louis, Liam and Niall playing pool and Ella sitting on her phone in a far corner of the bar.

I hear my phone vibrate in my pocket and I pull it out sharply.

Sorry - it reads from Zayn I look over to him at the front of the bar and watch him raise his eyebrows like he made a great move but I just look down and lock my phone. 

"I'm tired" A young looking girl with messed up hair and smudged mascara walks into the bar with a man tall man following behind.

"Here I'll take you home." He grabs her waist, her eyes widening at his touch.

"Erm, I need the bathroom first." She tries to squirm away.

"Ok baby I'll be at the bar." He places a few kisses on her kneck and she shakes. As soon as he lets go of her she stumbles over her heels. Everyones attention turns to them.

"Can a girl help her go to the bathroom please?" He hits her playfully looking but I don't think it was. Ella doesn't budge so I stand.

"I guess I can." I walk over and hold her hand. The smell of beer and smoke is overpowering but I breathe through my mouth and help her stand upright. I walk her into the toilets and my eyes trail along the graffitied toilet walls and mirrors.

"Ok, I really need to pee." She stumbles into a cubicle. 

"Is he your date?" I rest on the back of a wall.

"Him? No, I don't know who he is but at least I have somewhere to stay for the night." She calls.

"What!?" I'm shocked "Do you do this everynight?" I walk closer to the mirror.

"Some, drinking calms the pain, you feel more numb this is why I'm falling, oops all over the place." She sighs.

"Well he'll like rape you, won't he?" I have a panicked tone to my voice but she just humms a sound like she doesn't want to hear what people might do to her.